RESUMO
Background: The diagnosis of typical cold urticaria (ColdU) relies on whealing in response to local cold stimulation testing (CST). It can also manifest with cold-induced anaphylaxis (ColdA). Till date, it is largely unclear how often patients with ColdU receive adrenaline treatment and are provided with an adrenaline autoinjector (AAI). Methods: An international, cross-sectional study, COLD-CE (i.e., comprehensive evaluation of ColdU and other cold-induced reactions), was carried out at 32 UCAREs. Detailed histories were taken and CST with an ice cube and/or TempTest® performed. ColdA was defined as an acute cold-induced (i.e., by cold water, air, or surfaces) involvement of the skin and/or visible mucosal tissue and at least one of the symptoms (cardiovascular manifestations, difficulty breathing, or gastrointestinal symptoms). Results: Of the 551 ColdU patients, 75% (n = 412) had a positive CST. Of them, concomitant chronic spontaneous urticaria was diagnosed in 10%. Of 372 patients with stand-alone ColdU, 69% were women and 91% adults. Their median age was 36 (IQR 26 - 48) years. Patients were also categorized into residents of countries with a tropical (n = 33), temperate (n = 264), or cold (n = 75) climate (Table 1: R13C1, R17C1, R21C1). AAI was more often prescribed to residents of temperate than tropical countries (30% vs. 12%, p = .038; Table 1: R31C1), although the frequency of ColdA did not significantly differ between these countries (44% vs. 42%, p = 1.000; R29C2). Residents of tropical countries had a higher frequency of ColdA induced by cold air than residents of temperate (36% vs. 12%, p = .001; R29C4) or cold (36% vs. 12%, p = .007; R25C4) countries. Cardiovascular manifestations induced by cold air were diagnosed in 33% (n = 11) of residents of tropical countries, but only 18% (n = 2) and 36% (n = 4) of them had received adrenaline and AAI, respectively (R13 - 15C7). Furthermore, hypotension and/or loss of consciousness induced by cold air occurred in 18% (n = 6) of patients, but only 17% (n = 1) received adrenaline (R13 - 14C10). ColdA was induced by complete cold water immersion in 9% (n = 3) of patients, and none of them received adrenaline treatment nor AAI (R13 - 15C3). Conclusion: Our findings suggest that ColdA is undertreated and call for changes in ColdU management.
RESUMO
BACKGROUND: Patients with chronic urticaria (CU) are increasingly using information and communication technologies (ICTs) to manage their health. What CU patients expect from ICTs and which ICTs they prefer remains unknown. We assessed why CU patients use ICTs, which ones they prefer, and what drives their expectations and choices. METHODS: In this cross-sectional study, 1841 patients across 17 countries were recruited at UCAREs (Urticaria Centers of Reference and Excellence). Patients with CU who were >12 years old completed a 23-item questionnaire. RESULTS: Most patients were interested in receiving disease information (87.3%), asking physicians about CU (84.1%), and communicating with other patients through ICTs (65.6%). For receiving disease information, patients preferred one-to-one and one-to-many ICTs, especially web browsers. One-to-one ICTs were also the ICTs of choice for asking physicians about urticaria and for communicating with other patients, and e-mail and WhatsApp were the preferred ICTs, respectively. Many-to-many ICTs such as Facebook, Instagram, LinkedIn, and Twitter were least preferred for all 3 purposes. Living in rural areas and higher education were linked to higher odds of being interested in receiving disease information, asking physicians, and communicating with patients through ICTs. CONCLUSIONS: Most patients and especially patients with higher education who live in rural areas are interested in using ICTs for their healthcare, but prefer different ICTs for different purposes, ie, web browsers for obtaining information, e-mail for asking physicians, and WhatsApp for communicating with other patients. Our findings may help to improve ICTs for CU.